Munugodu takeaways for AP CM

VIJAYAWADA: Money does not buy one the goodwill to encash it in the form of vote coupons. It helps to some extent perhaps in the elections – more in the form of making it easier to convince the party cadres to move about with confidence.

The hotly contested Munugodu by-election has a lesson not only for the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) leadership but also for the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh politicians. The TRS had to fight 'tooth and claw' to secure the seat from the BJP using not only all its 'forces' but also those of the Leftists to scrape through to the winning post. The drama around the Assembly segment was remarkable and it only added to the nail-biting finish with even the BJP claiming victory in its defeat.

All said and done, the bypoll has shaken the TRS out of its stupor and it will not, anymore, afford to be complacent over its popularity. Next year when it goes to polls, it will be a spectacle as 'expectations' of 'voters' have now shot up with the 'asking rate' gone up according to analysts.

Herein, is the lesson for Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. His government may have fulfilled 92 per cent to 98 per cent of the election manifesto promises - the variation is because of the differing claims of the CMO and its Ministers. Yet, it can't rest on such laurels. Gone are the days that the voters feel 'obliged' to any candidate or party.

For obvious reasons, Munugodu fills the minds and hearts of politicians with a sense of deja vu. Promises and even performance do not seem to ensure a higher warranty period than the normal five years. The feeling that the BJP is gaining in rural Telangana too may not be palatable to the YSRCP leadership. Such developments could have a cascading effect on the immediate neighbourhood.

The YSRCP might dismiss it as 'peculiar to Telangana' but not applicable to Andhra Pradesh. Nevertheless, it would also note that there was perhaps a yearning for change – at least among the youth. The TRS had to consolidate several factors with great care, throwing everything at the sweepstakes to win Munugodu.

The YSRCP, unfortunately, does not have the luxury of making friends with anyone. In addition, it has to contend with its own dissidence. Despite a target of 175/175 being set up by the Chief Minister for the next elections, there will be serious challenge to his calculations in the unequivocal consolidation of the rivals – an entire gamut of anti-YSRCP forces. Yet another factor that Jagan has to contend with would be the antipathy he has developed among some sections, particularly the youth.

Unlike the TRS which has been fighting its battle against its rivals politically - except for stray acerbic comments on the BJP leadership - the YSRCP has injected a strong personal element to its campaign against the rivals. The social media teams of the YSRCP have not done any remarkable job in denigrating and denouncing either Chandrababu Naidu or Pawan Kalyan on caste lines and focusing on their personal lives too.

All this has only sealed the prospects of any reconciliation. Jagan will now have to rely exclusively on his welfare measures and benefits alone. Is he confident that the voter would be considerate towards him after giving him his 'one chance'? Well, the AP Chief Minister will have to look at his future through Munugodu prism.